


She's Going To Be All Right

by karog



Series: Don't Leave Me [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Feels, Rescue, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-09 09:05:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4342466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karog/pseuds/karog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evelyn gets kidnapped but Cullen is not going to let her slip away from his arms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to swap their roles - now Evelyn is the one who needs to be rescued ;)

„Move forward!” he yelled, swinging his sword and cutting off the attacker’s head with a sheer force. “Don’t stop!” 

He wasn’t going to slow down, not now, not ever. Evelyn needed him and would be there. He would save her and never let her from his sight again. 

“Commander, there’s too many of them!” he heard a desperate cry coming from behind his back but he didn’t care. His purpose was clear. Save the Inquisitor, save the woman he loved more than his own life, bring her back to Skyhold. He would be doomed if he quit. 

“Forward!” he shouted and eliminated another enemy who dared to stand in his way. Cullen’s moves were swift and gracious, it seemed as if he didn’t use any strength at all. The only person to know how exhausted he felt was himself. 

Physical exhaustion wasn’t his main concern. Spending almost his whole life as a proud warrior, he’d gotten accustomed to the pain he felt in his muscles at that moment. But Cullen felt tired of the fear he’d started feeling in his heart when he’d heard Samson had kidnapped Evelyn. It had felt surreal to hear the news, the world had stopped spinning for a moment before Cullen had processed the message. Evelyn was in danger. 

“Curly, this is crazy!” Varric yelled while shooting arrows without a break. 

“We are NOT retreating!” Cullen simply answered, his voice stern. 

Suddenly, he saw it. A small clearing, his chance to get to the Keep unnoticed and find Evelyn. The battle was raging on and Cullen hesitated for a brief moment. Would his soldiers be able to deal with the situation without him? 

“We’ll save Evelyn no matter what!” he heard Dorian’s voice reaching him from afar. Hearing her name was enough for him to make a decision. 

“Varric!” he shouted, approaching the dwarf, dragging his sword through another man’s body. “Take Bull and Dorian! Meet me there!” Cullen pointed his finger into the clearing’s direction and didn’t wait for his friend’s response. He would go into the keep even by himself, he would save her. 

The corridors were narrow but wide enough even for the Iron Bull to move forward. 

“Where are we going?” Varric asked after a short time of silence, interrupted only by the sound of their footsteps and a clatter of Cullen’s armor. 

Cullen couldn’t answer straight away. He didn’t know which direction to go, he wasn’t even sure Evelyn was there. The only thing that kept him going was the image of her face. Wherever she was, she needed him. 

“Cullen, stop for a moment,” Varric insisted but his words meant nothing. He couldn’t slow down, couldn’t stop. 

“Cullen!” Dorian panted reaching out his hand in an attempt to grab Cullen’s arm but he was too slow. 

“Commander Cullen, we need to stop now!” Bull finally spoke, moving past Cullen and standing in his way. 

Cullen stopped. He looked around his companions cursing them in his mind. _I should have gone alone, they are only slowing me down. I need to find Evelyn, I need to save her._

“Going around in circles won’t help us,” Varric said. 

“We need to keep moving,” Cullen ground out clenching his fists. 

“Moving where?” Dorian asked with irritation. “We have no idea where she is or if she’s even here, we need a plan, we can’t...” 

Desperate and bloodcurdling screams interrupted Dorian’s words. The four men froze as they recognized the voice. 

“Evelyn...” Cullen whispered and passed Bull, running as fast as he could, following the sound of her voice. 

Her screams would later haunt his worst nightmares. He was never going to forget the sound of her suffering. And at that moment he knew he was going to kill anyone who dared to touch her, anyone who dared to hurt her. 

Her voice was cracked and hoarse as if she had been screaming for hours. There were moments in which she stopped and Cullen’s heart skipped a beat each time the sound of her voice faded away. _Maker, please, I’m begging you. Don’t let me be too late, please..._

As they moved forward, they all knew they were getting close. Her voice was leading them as the light would lead in the darkness. Sometimes they distinguished her pleading words and it made Cullen go mad. With every step he took, he growled and frowned, he clenched his fists on his sword’s hilt. He prayed and it was an angry, violent prayer. 

“Please...” he heard her cries from behind the closed door. “Stop...” 

Cullen wasn’t thinking clearly at that point. He kicked the door with all the power he had left and froze as he managed to understand the scene he witnessed. 

Samson, the man who used to be his fellow Templar, was standing right next to Evelyn, the woman he loved like he had never loved anyone before. Samson’s pants laid on the floor and he nudged against Evelyn, his arousal being the most disgusting thing Cullen saw in his life. The man was so focused on his repugnant act, he didn’t even notice someone had entered the room. And Evelyn... 

Evelyn was enchained to the wall, her hands up and her head lowered, her hair dirty and blood-soaked. She was naked, covered in blood and numerous cuts, some of them still fresh. Tears were running down her face in an uncontrollable way and her whole body was shaken with violent cries escaping her mouth. 

Cullen acted instinctively. Readjusting the hold on his sword, he ran towards Samson with a furious cry on his lips. He swung his weapon and struck Samson. The man fell down on the floor and put his hands on the place where Cullen’s sword hit in a desperate attempt of stopping the bloodshed. But Cullen didn’t stop. He kicked Samson and hit him with his sword again and again. He didn’t see blood slowly covering his whole armor, he didn’t feel the heat of it on his body. Each and every blow was mad and wild. 

“Curly, stop!” Varric’s voice suddenly reached his ears and he managed to snap out of his frenzy. 

Cullen turned around and saw Evelyn laying in Dorian’s arms still and unconscious, looking as if she... 

“No...” he whispered and dropped his sword, turning towards his beloved one. “No, no... please, don’t be dead...” 

Before anyone else could react, Cullen knelt by Evelyn’s side and took her into his arms. He rocked her as tears started running down his face. 

“She is not dead, Cullen, “ Dorian spoke, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “But she needs help, now.” 

He didn’t waste any more time. Taking off his furry mantle, he covered her body carefully and pulled her up in his arms. 

“Yes, help...” he said, moving towards the door. “She just needs help. She’s going to be all right.”


	2. Chapter 2

He ran out of the Keep as fast as he could, holding Evelyn in his arms and silently praying for her life. 

The battle was over. They won but at great cost. Many soldiers gave away their lives for their leader’s safety but Cullen couldn’t force himself to reflect upon their losses. 

“Where are the mages? We need the healers, now!” he yelled. 

The soldiers who gathered in one place stared at their Commander holding the unconscious Inquisitor in his arms, and fear beamed through their eyes. 

“Where are the healers?!” Cullen shouted again, losing his patience with every precious second. 

“C-commander, sir, they’re...” one of the men stepped forward. “They were attacked and they didn’t make it.” 

Cullen felt his world spinning around but he didn’t allow panic to take over his mind. 

“A horse. Give me my horse.” He ground out. 

_Hold on, love. Just hold on, you’re going to be fine._

He held her close as the horse galloped through the forest. He left everyone behind, knowing they would only slow him down while every minute could bring Evelyn’s death. 

He wasn’t going to let her die. 

Cold wind made his cheeks turn red and as air escaped his mouth, he felt it was getting harder to breath but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was Evelyn’s life. 

She muttered something from time to time, her voice weak, sometimes barely a whisper. Cullen couldn’t understand the words but his heart clenched painfully when her hands fell limp and she no longer moved. 

“Breathe, Evelyn,” he panted. “Just breathe. You can do it, you’re brave and strong, you’ve faced worse. I’m here, I’ll protect you now...” 

The horse galloped through Skyhold’s gates and Cullen could hear his heart beat loudly. 

“Healers!” he yelled at the top of his voice. 

\--- 

Time seemed to have slowed down. Silence which lingered in the room was a blessing and a curse at the same time. 

Cullen sat by Evelyn’s bed and held her hand. He hadn’t moved from his place since they arrived the day before. The soldiers came back to the fortress but Cullen gave up his command to his deputies. There was no force in the world strong enough to force him to leave Evelyn. 

He stared at her calm face, listened to her breathing. There were no tears in his eyes, only fear and worry that gnawed at his heart without mercy. He was on time, the healers managed to save her. But when he laid her down in her bed, he remembered what he had witnessed. 

Evelyn’s body was violated in ways he didn’t even want to imagine. The healers couldn’t say if Samson had raped her and Cullen couldn’t assume anything. Will she be able to cope with it? 

Her body might have been healed by the mages but it was Cullen’s task to heal her soul. 

And so he waited. He was going to be there for her no matter what. He wasn’t going to allow her to slip away from his arms again. 

Suddenly, Evelyn moved and Cullen’s heart skipped a beat. She moaned and squeezed his hand. 

“Evelyn?” he asked, his voice hoarse. 

“Don’t... please...” she whispered. Her body was shaking and she winced as if she was in great pain. 

“I’m here, Evelyn, it’s me,” he said, caressing her cheeks. “Wake up, my love, you’re safe...” 

His words were drowned by her terrifying scream. She sat up straight, her eyes wide open and she cried. 

Cullen sat by her side and put his hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. 

“Listen to me Evelyn, you’re safe. Everything is all right, no one is going to hurt you now,” he kept repeating and watched as terror slowly evaporated from her eyes, leaving only hurt and despair. 

“Cullen?” she finally asked. 

“It’s me. I love you. You’re safe with me,” he said. 

Evelyn burst into tears while Cullen embraced her and rocked her gently. “You’re safe,” he whispered over and over again, until he was no longer sure whether he was trying to convince her or himself. 

He knew she was going to suffer for a long time. He knew her memories were going to haunt her. But Cullen was going to be there. He was going to support her and love her each and every day, just like she had been supporting him for such a long time. 

_She’s going to be all right._ He thought as Evelyn fell asleep in his arms.


End file.
